A walk through time from our earliest beginnings.

All exhibits contain artifacts from the area showing its growth and development. It provides a walk through history beginning with the earth history of this area and leading to a large display of Indian artifacts from the tribes that inhabited the area before the coming of the white man. The museum strives to present items from this community used by people and families from the Cole Camp area. This is to ensure the museum accurately reflects the town, the community and its history. Other items are included when such originals could not be found locally, or when an object is important to the overall story of a given period in history.

Our window displays are updated and changed frequently to provide our visitors an opportunity to see our history throughout the seasons. The fireplace mantel is from a house built by the Blakey family, one of the first settlers, along with Hosea Powers, of the actual town site.

Upon entering the Museum you will see examples of the wildlife familiar to this area. There is a painted mural with a bobcat, ducks, squirrel and raccoon.

Moving to your left along the south wall, you will find a display case dedicated to our first white settler in Benton County, Ezekiel Williams. He established a store, post office and stopping point for travelers as well as stage coaches traveling along the old Military Road or the Butterfield Trail. The town was initially located about four miles west of present day Cole Camp. He later moved the post office to the current town site in 1839.

Behind the Ezekiel Williams display is the research library with an assortment of reference books for the purpose of researching local and family history.

West of the Research Library are several display cases we use to display various collections of those willing to loan items to the museum, usually seasonal.

Traveling to the Left from the Entrance, South Wall Left side of the aisle.

Traveling to the Left from the Entrance, South Wall Right side of the aisle.

A bell collection on loan to the museum.

A bell collection on loan to the museum.

An assortment of how clothes were washed and sown. A display of various textiles.

Carpentry Tools

The Cobblers corner or Shoe maker.

Furs and Traps.The wildlife and trapping exhibit tells the story of creatures indigenous to the area and the importance of trapping in our early days.

Trapping devices with animal pelts that may be examined and touched. Trapping was a major activity in the early days of the community, well into the 1940's!

Behind the saddle collection and before the music instruments and uniforms is very unique display. The first case is a small display of geological or earth history from this area. It has minerals, rocks and fossils which are all a part of the land mass where the Cole Camp community is located.

Items from the Heisterberg home.

Items from the Heisterberg home.

A Melodium musical instrument which was in the Heisterberg home during the Cole Camp battle along with a spinning wheel that was brought from Germany.

The next case houses an extensive exhibit of Native American artifacts on loan from The Henning family,The Cash family and The Newman family collections. Many of the finest artifacts found in Cole Camp and surrounding area are to be seen here. The exhibit includes artifacts from the earliest period, the PALEO, 12,000 - 7,500 B.C. to include spear points, axes, blades, awls, and tomahawks. This exhibit ends with the historic period from around 1600-1900 A.D. to include spear points, axes, arrowheads, ceremonial pipes, trade beads, and various examples of bead work, with objects from the first trading post on the Osage River.

A saddle collection.

The Fortepiano was an early version of the piano. This was made in Germany. It has also been referred to as the Prairie Organ and was carried in covered wagons. It was sometimes used in church services on the prairie and wagon trains.

Items from the Heisterberg Home.

Band uniforms and musical instruments.

The Musical Collection.

This bedroom set was made in France, over 100 years ago, out of black walnut. It was exhibited in the 1904 Saint Louis World's Fair. It is on loan to the museum by Kit and Carl Schwensen whose great - grandfather was one of the early settlers to the Mora area. Their Aunt was Katinka Schwensen.

An assortment of musical instruments.

The bed is known as a half tester bed because the canopy top goes half way over the bed.

This served as the service window and mailboxes for the Mora Post Office for a number of years. This was donated by the Evelyn Kroenke Family.This is a true relic of the past.

A Collection of Ladies Hats.

The Agricultural Area along the west wallat the back of the museum.

An impressive collection of barbed wire !

A extensive collection of early farm equipment and tools that had been used on Cole Camp area farms.

The Mount Hulda Post Office.

This fish trap was used in the Osage River at Warsaw. The fish came in the small end, after passing through the two small sections, couldn't manage a way out.

Exhibits on the North side of the museum, heading from the back, towards the front.

North Wall on the Left side of the Aisle

North Wall on the Right side of the Aisle

Loom on loan from the Katie Koenke Family.This shows a primitive handmade loom of the type found in many early homes.

The boom period is reflected in items from early businesses.

Cole Camp was the site of one of the first battles of the Civil War.

The One Room School House display.

The Civil War exhibit tells the story of the war in the Cole Camp area, including the Battle of Cole Camp.

One Room School house display with this piano that was once in the famous Belleview Hotel.

Artifacts shown here are largely those used in and around Cole Camp, both in battle and in the ensuing bushwhacker or guerrilla war that ravaged the area throughout the war.

This authentic Barber shop had been operated by Ernest Kerksiek. Many of the items on display had been used by previous barbers.

The 1920's - 1930's kitchen, reveals how good domestic life was during that period.You may notice, there is no refrigerator, no microwave, no sink with running water, no television or radio.

After the war came a time of growth and prosperity. There are exhibits of this era including early advertising.

This wall reflects Cole Camp's involvement during World War I.

World Wars I and II are well represented with military equipment and items used or brought back by local citizens from the wars.

The World War II exhibit contains examples of ration books, captured enemy equipment, some weapons used in the war by the Americans, as well as allies and enemy forces

There were many men from the community that went to war along with a number of local women who served in the Nurse Corps.

Many of the items displayed are from an earlier date as most things were handed down from generation to generation. This exhibit has proven to be a learning experience for many who find it hard to imagine how things were many years ago.

The cultural life of early Cole Camp is displayed reflecting the religious, educational and musical heritage of this community.

There are a few pieces of memorabilia from the Korean and Vietnam Wars.